Realign
By Pastor John Weasel
Re-align: to arrange in a straight line; to bring into cooperation or agreement, to adjust.
To align something means to arrange it in a straight line. To “re-align” indicates that somewhere along the way a disturbance was introduced, and what was once in order is now out of order. When we start to find disorder in our lives, it’s an indication that we need to come to God and realign ourselves with His word.
Several years ago I was driving my truck down the road. And as many of us in Nebraska are aware, in the winter time you need to watch out for ice, and in the spring you need to watch out for craters disguised as potholes. In the road ahead of me there was what appeared to be a small puddle, but when I drove over it, I found out that that puddle was about 8 inches deep.
I let out the customary “ouch”, not that I was injured, but I feel like that’s something we all say when we hit a pothole. Over the next couple of days I started to notice my truck wasn’t driving in a straight line but was pulling to one side, and when I would drive over 60 MPH (which wasn’t very often because I always obey the speed limit) my steering wheel would start to vibrate. I knew I needed to take it in to get looked at and sure enough, I was told that the alignment was bad and my wheels needed some adjustments.
As I began to write this devotional I googled wheel alignment to see what that process entailed. It is described as: adjusting the angles of the wheels to the manufacturers specifications. The purpose of these adjustments is to ensure that the vehicle travels straight and true.
As we think about that word realign as it pertains to our daily lives, I don’t know about you but I need God to do some alignment checks on me. There were potholes in 2020 that knocked some things out of line in my life, and I need God’s help everyday to bring order to the chaos I’ve created or has been created around me.
Just as I’m thankful that I can take my vehicle to a mechanic for needed adjustments, I’m even more thankful that I can go to God when adjustments are needed. Proverbs 3 (NIV) tells us to, “5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” The same way your car won’t drive straight with bad alignment, your life can’t be lived straight with bad alignment either.
If we want our lives to be straight and true and according to our manufacturers specifications, we need to trust Him and His word. We need to live lives submitted to Him. We need to realize our understanding, or even the understanding of others, is limited and get back in alignment with Him.
Challenge:
Ask God to show you if any area of your life needs to be realigned. Take time to honestly evaluate where you are at spiritually, physically, mentally, relationally, and professionally. Ask Him to reveal any areas of your life that you may be living outside of your manufacturer’s specifications, and trust Him through that process of realignment.